It’s rough to be homeless in any city, but this week advocacy groups are saying to stay off the streets of Los Angeles, naming it the “meanest” city in the U.S. for homeless people.
The groups say new laws have made homelessness a crime and blame L.A.’s Safer City Initiative, which makes it illegal to sleep, sit or store personal belongings on sidewalks or public spaces. It also bars panhandling, begging and loitering.
A report was issued by the National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty and the National Coalition for the homeless, which slammed the city's policies especially during a time when homelessness is on the rise because of tough economic times.
L.A. mayor, Antonio Villaraigosa said the report was “short-sighted and misleading.”
But, the American Civil Liberties Union disagrees and they took it to the judge. Yesterday, they sued the city of Santa Monica in L.A. court saying that city police violate the constitutional rights of homeless people by harassing and arresting them.
The lawsuit stressed how unacceptable this is given that the city can’t provide shelter beds for all homeless people, which brings up the question: if there isn’t enough room in shelters and it’s illegal to sleep on the streets, where do the homeless go?
Mark Rosenbaum, the ACLU’s legal director added that L.A. police are “arresting people because they’re poor and mentally disabled.”
City officials defended themselves against the lawsuit saying that they had reduced their “street population” by 8% in the last two years and that they believe they “are at the forefront of real-time solutions.”
So who do you agree with? What do you think of the new law that many say “criminalizes” homelessness? Do you think it’s a good solution?
Want to come up with your own solution to homelessness in your town? Volunteer at a homeless shelter or soup kitchen or choose from 11 more ways to help end poverty.
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this is absolutely terrible!
this makes total since to me! homeless people are often dangerous. if i lived in LA i wouldnt want to have to walk around scared that i could get hurt
In some ways, the law is fair. I mean, the homeless need a place to live. But in another aspect, homeless people can be dangerous.
This law is ludicrous. Making homelessness a crime does not cause a deterrent effect. Individuals who are homeless are rarely dangerous, and are never homeless because they choose to be.
My education in the field of criminal justice and sociology has taught me that the cost of arresting and incarcerating someone exceeds the cost of housing and feeding them by 5-10 times (depending on the level of incarceration). I am forced to ask then, why we label our homeless population as deviants when it is simply easier to care for them. What kind of society would rather punish than help those in need, even when helping is less expensive?
As for the supposed "real time solution" this policy is having, all that it is succeding at is pushing the homeless out of LA to other cities.
-E